Semi-pro soccer team hosts season kickoff party

DeKALB – DeKalb County United Vice President Colby Newquist was overwhelmed with emotion after seeing the turnout Thursday evening inside Fatty’s Pub & Grille, where the soccer club hosted its season kickoff party and revealed its new uniforms.

Surrounded by 100-plus supporters of the new semi-professional team, Newquist realized his and others’ dreams no longer were just a vision, but instead a reality. Many fans were decked out in green shirts and scarves with the team’s logo displayed.

Newquist couldn’t stop smiling when team president John Hall and the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the team’s inaugural season, which begins with a preseason game April 14 at the DeKalb Recreational Center.

“[This moment] was incredible,” Newquist said. “Especially after working on the project over the last year and a half and all the hard work we put into it. Now, finally getting to the soccer part and seeing all the support from friends and families and even strangers here supporting the team and the club.

“It was a heartfelt moment.”

DeKalb County United is an adult semi-professional soccer club that will compete in the United Premier Soccer League. The club will play its games at Northern Illinois University’s Soccer and Track & Field Complex, which has a capacity of 1,800. DeKalb Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Matt Duffy said the team is the first of its kind in the DeKalb area.

USPL consists of more than 150 teams in 23 states. DeKalb County United will compete in the Midwest Conference and will compete against teams from Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska and Michigan.

On Thursday, the club revealed its uniforms to the public – five players modeled green and black kits, while goalkeeper and Sycamore native Tim Smith sported a bright yellow goalie jersey. Hall said that Smith and other DeKalb County United goalkeepers also will have the option of a blue-themed goalie kit.

DeKalb County United coach Michael Gecan said he’s beyond ready to get the season started.

“You knew this community was going to be supportive but not this supportive,” Gecan said. “This is quite a bit of people. Hopefully they come out to watch quality soccer games.”

The team’s roster consists of 41 men, who endured two rounds of tryouts with 130 total participants. While a majority of players are from DeKalb County, some have roots from as far as Milwaukee, Houston and even Paris.

“We went a little bit bigger than normal,” Gecan said. “We’re only dressing 18 for games. We have some young local players. We’ve made an agreement with them; they’re young, and they’re going to develop. ... They’ll go through college, and they have the opportunity to be starters down the line. We want people from the local community playing for this team.”

Brian VanBuren, the team’s treasurer, spent most of his night manning the club’s merchandise booth. VanBuren, a former soccer player for NIU, admitted he was surprised by the amount of supporters at Thursday’s event. The team booked two party rooms at Fatty’s, and both were both filled to capacity. Some attendees had to be rerouted to an overflow room inside the restaurant.

“The community is behind us 100 percent,” VanBuren said. “Tonight showed that.”

The nonprofit team has 155 season ticket holders, Hall said. He hopes that number continues to grow as the first game approaches. DeKalb County United kicks off the regular season May 3 at home against Intersquad.

“It’s been a long journey, and we still have a long way to go,” Hall said. “This is a terrific start.”